The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed Joe Schobert to a five-year contract worth $53.75 million. The deal carries with it $22.5 million in guarantees and keeps him with the organization until 2025. Schobert, a Wisconsin product, spent the 2019 season with the Cleveland Browns.
Former #Browns LB Joe Schobert is headed to the #Jaguars on a 5-year, $53.75M deal, source said. He gets an average of $10.75M per year. $12M to sign and $22.5M guaranteed. A new face on that Jax defense.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020
Joe Schobert, ***TEAM***, Agree to Deal
According to Chad Porto of FactoryofSadness.com, many fans are frustrated that the Browns are letting Schobert walk. The fans feel like the Browns’ organization is failing them and doing the team a disservice by opting to let Schobert go elsewhere. Some fans suggest $10+ million is too much for the one-time Pro Bowler and that any other team that signs him will overpay. However, in his years in Cleveland, Schobert has been a solid and dependable defensive player.
He also stayed fairly healthy. In his four years with the Browns, Schobert played all but three games, which he missed with a hamstring injury late in the 2018 season.
The Cleveland Browns selected Joe Schobert 99th overall out of Wisconsin in the 2016 Draft Class. In his three years at Wisconsin, the linebacker had one interception, 13 sacks, and 154 combined tackles. In 2015, Schobert won the Jack Lambert Trophy, designating him as the top collegiate linebacker. During the same year, he was the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, First-Team All-Big Ten, and First-Team All-American.
Schobert’s rookie contract was for four years for “$2,973,956, including a $633,956 signing bonus, $633,956 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $743,489,” according to Spotrac.com. In those four years with the Browns, Schobert had six interceptions, 8.5 sacks, and 408 combined tackles. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2017.
The linebacker’s rookie contract came to an end. It was time for Cleveland to decide whether or not they would re-sign him. Schobert stated that he wanted his new contract to be for $10+ million, and the Browns decided against re-signing him. Therefore, the Browns decided to let the linebacker test out free agency. The Browns also cut Christian Kirksey. With him and Schobert out the door, Cleveland has some work to do in the linebacker department.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
